While seeing a flying pigeon may be a regular occurrence for New Yorkers, a 16ft version of the bird is much more rare, and is set to land on the city’s High Line later this year.
Known as the ‘Dinosaur,’ the hyper-realistic aluminum sculpture has been built by French artist and filmmaker Iván Argote and will be replacing Pamela Rosenkranz’s Old Tree this October.
The gigantic sculpture will be on full display on the High Line Plinth above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street and will stay in place till April 2026.
The humorous yet symbolic sculpture is meant to challenge the grandeur of traditional monuments that celebrate significant historical figures in the City.
Known as the ‘Dinosaur’, the hyper-realistic aluminum pigeon has been built by French artist and filmmaker Iván Argote and will be replacing Pamela Rosenkranz’s Old Tree this October
The name and size of the pigeon is also meant to poke fun at the ‘the typical power dynamic between bird and human’ as it towers over pedestrians and car drivers that travel down 10th Avenue.
In his sculpture description, Argote explains that the pigeon is meant to represent the city’s evolution and confronts its viewers with the constantly changing relationship with the natural world and its inhabitants.
He noted: ‘The name Dinosaur makes reference to the sculpture’s scale and to the pigeon’s ancestors who millions of years ago dominated the globe, as we humans do today… the name also serves as a reference to the dinosaur’s extinction.
‘Like them, one day we won’t be around anymore, but perhaps a remnant of humanity will live on, as pigeons do, in the dark corners and gaps of future worlds.’
In his sculpture description, Argote explains that the pigeon is meant to represent the city’s evolution and confronts its viewers with the constantly changing relationship with the natural world and its inhabitants
He also attempts to remind New Yorkers that everyone is indeed an immigrant to the city – drawing a parallel to when pigeons first came to the US from Europe in the 1800s.
‘Even the pigeon, a New York fixture, initially migrated here and made the city their home, like millions of other “native” New Yorkers,’ Argote explained.
Historically, pigeons were used for food, kept as pets and presented as symbols of beauty and wealth based on their plumage, but during the World Wars, they became reliable message carriers.
Pigeons have an internal navigational mechanism—known as ‘homing’—that allows them to always find their way back home.
He also attempts to remind New Yorkers that everyone is indeed an immigrant to the city – drawing a parallel to when pigeons first came to the US from Europe in the 1800s
They served as military messengers and saved hundreds of lives by transporting messages quickly to both the trenches and front lines.
Many of these pigeons received gallantry awards and were celebrated as war heroes, before technology eventually rendered them obsolete.
Argote is the youngest artist to have his work displayed on the High Line since its founding in 2009 and the first ever Plinth artist from the global south.
